Rent prices in Colorado Springs (2015, employment, minimum wage)

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

LOL! I'm sure that you and I could form quite the criminal partnership. We could be Manitou's new answer to Bonnie and Bonnie! As the Colorado Forum of City Data is my witness, I vow to take full personal responsibility for any pranks, crimes, jokes that the individual using the nom de guerre, "mtngigi" may be inspired to commit on or against the tourists, residents, the City Council, the cops, and every single resident of the gated community that calls itself "Crystal Park." Seriously, guys?

And let me be clear, I am taking responsibility for any "crime(s)" that mtngigi may have up her sleeve not because I am overflowing with compassion, but because - just like ET - I want to come home, dammit! And I want to come home to an actual dwelling that has a roof which doesn't leak, windows which are not broken, access to an at least 300 baud Internet connection. And while the dwelling is not required to have a paved road leading to it, there must at least be an unpaved road with ruts no deeper than 5 feet, rocks and other debris no higher than the clearance of my 1951 Willy's. And the price of this elegant home can be no higher than $1 X 10 to the 6th power dollars.

Now, I know that non Californians may consider a million bucks for a house to be prohibitive, but just consider all the perks that the house I mentioned above has. A million dollars for a home like that is a steal!

Consider yourself warned, Colorado Springs.

Consider yourself warned, Manitou Springs.

And you - yes, YOU, Crystal Park! Well, you'll find out...

It shouldn't be so hard for you to get back here. Try and keep the faith - it seems to me that something has to give. But new developments in Manitou do not have "affordable" in their names. Old places are being priced as if they were mansions. It's ridiculous what some of those funky little Manitou shacks are selling for.

Crystal Park? Well, they worry about flooding down here amongst the minions ... not because of what we might suffer, but because it might block access to their homes.

[TCHP]

Nahh, Crystal Park is more worried about what the Colorado Water Resource Board may levy on them for their multi-year, multi-tiered water use violations they have have engaged in. This could have a major impact on their water access and home values which could lead them to having to truck in water. or not get a fortune for them home when they sell.

[wilberry]

Hey you guys we can still afford to live in Colorado Springs! there is no need to resort to Busking on the street corner, or a life of misdemeanor crime

617 Manitoba Drive, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO 80910
For Sale
2 Beds 1 Bath 666 Sqft 0.129 ac Lot Size Residential

$250,000
https://www.propertyshark.com/homes/...111532731.html

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Nahh, Crystal Park is more worried about what the Colorado Water Resource Board may levy on them for their multi-year, multi-tiered water use violations they have have engaged in. This could have a major impact on their water access and home values which could lead them to having to truck in water. or not get a fortune for them home when they sell.

Can you explain "multi-year, multi-tiered water use" for dummies ? I don't understand how water bills can be manipulated.

But if I find out those folks have been somehow getting lower rates that us peons below them, I will not be happy. Our water rates have increased a few times over the last two years ... I try to conserve, but no matter what I do, my bill stays the same.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by wilberry

Hey you guys we can still afford to live in Colorado Springs! there is no need to resort to Busking on the street corner, or a life of misdemeanor crime

617 Manitoba Drive, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO 80910
For Sale
2 Beds 1 Bath 666 Sqft 0.129 ac Lot Size Residential

$250,000
https://www.propertyshark.com/homes/...111532731.html

That is a great deal, if you're looking to buy, but we're mostly talking about rentals. I believe Colorado Rambler wants to come back to Manitou Springs (or at least the west side). But as we've discussed, rental prices have reached a level of insanity, even for the many old dumps in this town.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

Can you explain "multi-year, multi-tiered water use" for dummies ? I don't understand how water bills can be manipulated.

But if I find out those folks have been somehow getting lower rates that us peons below them, I will not be happy. Our water rates have increased a few times over the last two years ... I try to conserve, but no matter what I do, my bill stays the same.

You didn't include the pertinent part of my quote that contains the word "violations". They aren't manipulating bills. Crystal Park has been outright skirting water rules for decades. The COWRB found out about it back around 2010 and began investigations. Any involvement I had with anyone up there stopped in 2014, so I have no clue how all of the findings were reconciled. We didn't see a big sell off of real estate, so I imagine something was agreed upon and they all still have water.

Perhaps they have lower rates. Perhaps not. As I said above, I don't know the results of the investigations and maybe every well house has a monitor attached to them now. Maybe not. When I had family up there, some homes paid collective pricing for well attachment from the Crystal Park "authority" and yes, some of them got water for free. Or, if you wanted your own free water, you only have to pay to sink a well. Which water plan you get to participate in depends on which platting of the development you live in, CP1 or CP2. If you drill, maybe you get water at 50 feet, maybe 500 feet. Maybe you have enough flow for a comfortable shower, maybe only enough to wash dishes. Maybe water lasts your lifetime, maybe you run dry after 5 years. Cost can range from $10k to unlimited. That's the gamble you take for "free" water.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by TCHP

You didn't include the pertinent part of my quote that contains the word "violations". They aren't manipulating bills. Crystal Park has been outright skirting water rules for decades. The COWRB found out about it back around 2010 and began investigations. Any involvement I had with anyone up there stopped in 2014, so I have no clue how all of the findings were reconciled. We didn't see a big sell off of real estate, so I imagine something was agreed upon and they all still have water.

Perhaps they have lower rates. Perhaps not. As I said above, I don't know the results of the investigations and maybe every well house has a monitor attached to them now. Maybe not. When I had family up there, some homes paid collective pricing for well attachment from the Crystal Park "authority" and yes, some of them got water for free. Or, if you wanted your own free water, you only have to pay to sink a well. Which water plan you get to participate in depends on which platting of the development you live in, CP1 or CP2. If you drill, maybe you get water at 50 feet, maybe 500 feet. Maybe you have enough flow for a comfortable shower, maybe only enough to wash dishes. Maybe water lasts your lifetime, maybe you run dry after 5 years. Cost can range from $10k to unlimited. That's the gamble you take for "free" water.

I noted the "violations" you mentioned. Thanks for the info - can't imagine how they got away with it for so long. I hope it was resolved fairly. Didn't know there might be so much well water use up there.

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

It shouldn't be so hard for you to get back here. Try and keep the faith - it seems to me that something has to give. But new developments in Manitou do not have "affordable" in their names. Old places are being priced as if they were mansions. It's ridiculous what some of those funky little Manitou shacks are selling for.

Crystal Park? Well, they worry about flooding down here amongst the minions ... not because of what we might suffer, but because it might block access to their homes.

Frankly, Manitou Springs is impossible these days. If you check for long term rentals in Manitou, there are 3 places available:

$1,350
724 Duclo Ave #A/2 bedroom
Manitou Springs
PET FRIENDLY

$1,700
104 Oklahoma Rd/3 bedroom
Manitou Springs

$1,695
328 Santa Fe Pl #B/2 bedroom
Manitou Springs

Since I know Manitou like the back of my hand, I recognized all 3. The one on Oklahoma blew me away. In another lifetime, our best friends used to live there. They paid about $300.00/mo for rent. That was a long time ago...

I have a disability, so I am the lucky recipient of a genuine Section 8 Housing Voucher. That should open a door or two, right? Wrong. Housing vouchers are issued in the amount known as the "Fair Market Value." Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which administers the voucher program has some arcane formula - which I believe includes eye of newt - that they use to figure the Fair Market. For Manitou Springs that amount for a 2 bedroom apartment is $1,080. The renter cannot pay any extra to the landlord on the side. It's $1080 or nothing. Me and my friendly pet are still $270.00/mo short of renting even that dive on Duclo Ave.

This Catch 22 of the difference between the Fair Market and the actual average cost of rent holds true everywhere in El Paso County. It pretty much holds true for every single city of any size all across the Country. My theory is that HUD does this to prevent the po' folk from getting too uppity, plus it saves all kinds of money. If you can't find a property to rent with your Housing Voucher, it reverts to HUD after as little as 30 days. It then is issued to the next sucker to try their luck. What a scam!

Once I finally figured out that the deck was stacked against me in the Big City, my instinct was to head for the hills. I packed what I could of my possessions in my battered Ford Explorer and with my friendly pet riding shotgun, we lit out for the Western Slope. We had almost run out of Colorado before we found the small town of Mancos that generously offered us sanctuary in the form of a lease on an apartment that went for exactly the Fair Market value and not a penny more or less.

After a few years of kicking around the Four Corners, a friend of a friend told me about the place I'm in now - a house on a farm located between the Sleeping Ute and the high mesas of Mesa Verde National Park. If a person is going to be forced to live in exile from their home, I guess they could do much worse than I have. But to this very day I still miss Colorado Springs and Manitou

As for Crystal Park - let's just say I have some personal history with that particular neighborhood and leave it at that. They do have various water scams going on that operate on the wink-wink, nod-nod, good old boy side of the system, but we don't talk about it much. At least this was true back in the day, and I don't see why it would have changed.

The residents of Crystal Park may talk floods, but I see a rosy glow in its future. That would be the glow of flames, BTW. First, Black Forest and then Waldo Canyon. Crystal Park is just waiting for the right hot summer's day to commence with the festivities. I sure hope those folks have an evacuation plan and that they've been thinning out all those dead trees and underbrush. If not, a few of the former residents may end up getting issued Housing Vouchers and looking for rentals in Manitou. Karma...

[wilberry]

coming in way down the list of the most expensive cities at # 45 Colorado Springs!

45 Colorado Springs, CO, ONE BED $1,200 5.30% 21.20% TWO BED $1,480 5.00% 14.70%

one bed apt: up from last month, year over ( 2019-2021 ) up 21.20 %
two beds rose a little also

[Tia616]

I think the prices here are ridiculous!! I just moved back here, thinking that my mom and I could get back on our feet here because we used to live here 15 years ago and it was really the last place we were happy in. But there is no way we can live here with the rent prices which do not even out with the minimum wage that's $12.32 but it will be going up in January but only to $12.50. If you are someone who works in retail, restaurants etc... You won't be able to live here. Which is what we are realizing, but where in the country is it affordable to live in anymore?